IOM's emergency response to the massive earthquake that struck West
Sumatra on September 30 has been boosted with a EUR 924,000
contribution from the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid
Department (ECHO).

The funding will be used to provide logistical support to the
government and aid agencies racing to deliver relief supplies to
the disaster area, where landslides triggered by the quake buried
entire villages.

IOM's logistics hub in Padang, the provincial capital, will
provide free trucking services for agencies donating aid and will
coordinate the complex logistics operation required to manage
incoming aid, warehouse it and ensure its efficient distribution to
those most in need.

IOM's fleet of 20 trucks and 5 pick-ups in Padang have already
delivered 292 tonnes of relief supplies to affected areas. They
have also moved a US Army field clinic from the airport into Padang
and an Australian military clinic from the airport to Pariaman
district, where three villages were buried by landslides.

The EC funding will also pay for emergency shelter and non-food
relief items for some 50,000 victims. These will include
tarpaulins, hygiene kits, cooking and cleaning equipment, jerry
cans, buckets, stoves and blankets – all of which are
urgently needed ahead of the monsoon rains, which are expected to
start next month.

Part of the funding will also be used to provide emergency health
assistance by organising transportation for the return of 1,500
discharged patients to their place of origins. IOM is already
working closely with Padang’s four hospitals and with the
American and Australian field hospitals to coordinate the return
home of injured people after treatment.

According to IOM assessment teams on the ground, thousands of
people are now living rough in makeshift shelters near their ruined
homes. Government estimates suggest that over 120,000 houses were
severely damaged by the quake, together with numerous health
facilities, roads, bridges and public buildings.

IOM is working closely with the National Coordinating Agency for
Disaster Management (BNPB), the West Sumatra emergency response
agency (SATKORLAK), the local authorities and partner agencies to
deliver an effective and coordinated response to the disaster.

IOM's emergency response capacity in Sumatra dates back to the
2004 tsunami and the 2005 Nias earthquake. In March 2007 it
established an office in Padang following the Solok earthquake,
which struck 90 kms north of the provincial capital.

For more information, please contact:

Jihan Labetubun

IOM Jakarta

Tel. +62.8111907028

E-mail: "mailto:jlabetubun@iom.int">jlabetubun@iom.int